Selfridges Oxford Street, London
Famed London retailer Harry Gordon Selfridge had a way with words. He also had a way with business, and with people. My favorite saying of his is, “People will sit up and take notice of you if you will sit up and take notice of what makes them sit up and take notice.” In a nutshell, Selfridge’s comment explains exactly what clients experience as we’re developing their brand.
In eleven years of practice, no one has ever come to work with me with the clear knowledge of what it is about themselves that make others sit up and take notice of them.
I think many of us can identify with the challenge of not knowing what makes others sit up and take notice of us. Being so close to our selves makes it harder than it may seem to get an objective perspective. Even other people around us can have a skewed idea about us. Some people don’t know us well enough. Others think they know us too well and have their own biases. Sometimes people are uncomfortable sharing how they feel about us, and at other times we’re incapable of receiving feedback from others, even when it’s good stuff!
The way you get others to sit up and take notice is for you to learn what makes them sit up and take notice of you.
How do you do that? Why, I thought you’d never ask!
Crowdsource other’s thoughts and feelings about you
When you have a good-sized group of people who you know are in your corner and who want to see you be successful, you can ask them all to evaluate what they see are your best personal attributes. This is not a version of “Hot or Not” because your supporters aren’t supposed to make appearance-based comments.
Review the results
If you want to build your self-esteem, reviewing the results will go a long way to helping you sit up and take notice of yourself through the “eyes” of others. And even more beneficial than building your self-esteem, you can create a plan to be at your best and improve your whole life. The language that we use to define who we are has transformative effects. Describe yourself poorly, and you will think of yourself that way. Plus, everyone else around you will pick up that vibe.
Get others to sit up and take notice
Now that you’ve done your part to sit up and take notice of what makes others sit up and take notice of you, you can do something about it. Actually, you can do a lot about it. Rethink what gifts you have to share with the world. Yes, you will get this kind of information from your supporters. Whether you’re in business for yourself, or you’re employed by a company, or you’re in a position to be giving back to your community, or are dedicated to giving your all to your family, you’ll be able to repackage what you do so you can be at your best for those who most need you. Then you can reintroduce to others what you do, what your values and passions are through your work.
By communicating and showing who you are and what you’re all about, you amplify and bring to fruition exactly what it is that causes others to sit up and take notice of you.
Selfirdge’s tongue twisting saying may be just that. But what he suggested then isn’t twisted at all. It just takes your determination to do the work.
If getting others to sit up and take notice of you is a priority for you and you need mentoring and guidance, I’ve got a program that will help you rethink, repackage, and reintroduce your brand.
Joseph Rosenfeld helps successful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs transform their self-confidence by improving their personal style. Get Joseph’s free report that helps you know which “7 Ways Your Image Is Leading to Low Performance” at josephrosenfeld.com.
